Clanmates
by Mishra
Summary: After the events of First Lord's Fury the realm has settled into uneasy peace. Given the now much closer relationship between Marat and Alerans, it was just a matter of time until new members join the Aleran clan.


„Aleran! I have news you have to hear."

Kitais voice sliced through Tavi's concentration like a metalcrafter's sword. He had just been about to make sense of the numbers in the report lying on the desk in front of him. It was a comprehensive list of all Aleran troops and Tavi had been about to figure out where to put them to the best use.

„Kitai, I am working," he said agitated and without looking up. „Whatever it is, it has to wait until I am done here."

„You are always working," she said dismissively. She had reached his deck by now and calmly sat down on his desk, effectively ending his work on the report. As usual, she looked beautiful. Her hair was no longer red and blue, but had regained its natural white color. She wore it longer than she used to and in a braid rather than in the fashion of the horse clan. However, her light tunic and leather breeches were more suitable for a scout than for the first lady of the realm. Only her rich jewelry betrayed her station. „And what I have to say cannot wait. I have received a letter from Doroga: It has finally happened, Aleran. We have some new clanmates."

„I don't understand," said Tavi. „And where is Desi? He was supposed to be with you."

„He is with your mother," said Kitai. „And I don't see what there is to understand: you and I are the founders of the Aleran clan. And it is tradition that each clan welcomes new members if they share the same chala as the rest of the clan. Like Doroga was welcomed by the gargant clan and Hashat was welcomed by the horse clan."

„So, you are telling me that there was been another Aleran and Marat bonding?" asked Tavi.

"Yes, Aleran that is what I have been trying to tell you. And you are being quite dense about it."

„Who did it happen to? Did it happen here in Riva? Probably not, there are hardly any Marat in the city. Maybe in Garrision? There are a lot of Marat and Aleran coming and going all the time."

„I don't know the details," said Kitai. „Doroga is not a man of many words and there is little to be told about this matter as it is. He told me that our new clanmates are bound to arrive within the week. We should make arrangements for them. I expect the Aleran to be quite confused about everything. You certainly were back then. And the Marat might have some trouble accepting his totem. I remember having trouble with that quite a bit."

„Yes, I remember the same thing," said Tavi dryly. „What can you tell me about our new clanmates?"

„According to Doroga's letter, they are an Aleran girl and a Marat boy. The boy was brought up in the Wolf clan and the girl seems to be related to some minor Aleran noble."

Tavi winced. He had hoped that some freeman had bonded with the Marat as it would have made matters much easier. Nobles, no matter how minor, had certain expectations about their children's lives and usually did not harbor any romantic feelings toward the Marat. He doubted that whoever noble the girl's father was would be overly pleased about her bonding with a Marat warrior.

„Crows," said Tavi. „That is going to stir up trouble. Her father will probably expect me to get her out of the bond."

„Well, then he is a very foolish man," said Kitai simply. „Everybody knows that bonds cannot be broken, no matter how inconvenient they might seem. I should know."

„Did you try to break our bond?"

„No, but Hashat did some inquiries on whether it could be done. She knew that I had wanted a horse. She found that it was not possible and attempting to do it was very dangerous anyway. In the end, I accepted my fate and in retrospect it turned out quite well."

„Somehow I don't think that her noble father will have quite that much Marat wisdom," said Tavi. „He will expect me to do something about it. Somehow people expect that I am able to fix every problem given that I am the First Lord of Alera."

„You can just command him to shut his mouth and be done with it," said Kitai. „Besides, it is not the father we have to worry about. He is not our new clanmate. We have to provide the young ones with our wisdom. You should probably focus on the girl, you have much more in common with her."

„And you can relate to the wolf clan Marat," said Tavi. „Well, alright. If it must be done, then I will talk to the girl."

„From what Doroga wrote, I gather that she has been rather distraught about the whole thing. She will reconsider it once she knows more about it. After all, you have never regretted bonding to me."

Tavi was not sure what to say to that. True, he had never regretted it explicitly, but nobody had ever explained to him what was going to happen in the first place. If he had had a choice, he doubted that he would have willingly triggered the bond. Especially, as he had been fifteen, in mortal danger and still quite confused about his place in the world. He could empathize quite a bit with that poor Aleran girl. If the Marat were as bad in explaining the bonding process as they had been in his time, she was probably in way over her head.

„What else do we have to do for them?" asked Tavi. „As far as I know, clanmates live together as well. Do we have to offer them a place here in Riva?"

„Yes, but probably not in our house," said Kitai. „Some might consider that inappropriate. We will have to get them a place to stay in town. I will see what I can find. We also have to spend some time with them every day to guide them on their way. The Marat will have to study Aleran society as is our custom and the Aleran has to be taught what it means to be bound to a Marat."

„Kitai", protested Tavi. „I am barely able to keep up with my schedule as it is. I cannot just make room for a few more hours each day."

„Chala, you will not need hours," said Kitai. „Marat learn by experiencing things on their own. So, the young warrior will spend a lot of time observing the Alerans and interacting with them. You will just have to make sure that he can walk around the city without causing any trouble. Maybe getting him something to occupy himself would be helpful. There is no point in making him learning anything in the tedious Aleran way. He will learn a lot just by observing me anyway."

„Obviously", said Tavi. Kitai either did not spot the sarcasm or she opted to ignore it. „But what do we do if they do not accept the bond? That probably will not be a problem with the Marat, but I am not sure that the Aleran girl wants to spend the rest of her life with her chala."

„Why wouldn't she? I just explained that she just needs to some to get used to the idea."

„Because she might have made different plans already and Aleran culture does not have a similar concept. Crows, depending on how old she is, she might already be engaged to someone. That is going to complicate things."

„Why should it complicate things?"

„Because she will probably end up falling in love with her chala."

Kitai snorted at that. „Aleran, you shouldn't assume that it is going to work out for everyone like it did for you and me. People don't fall in love with their chala on principle. It is not a given that the two of them will end up mating."

„But it is more likely given how much more connected they are," argued Tavi.

„Just because you know a lot about someone, you are not going to like him", said Kitai. „I am no prophet and I don't predict the future. Things will work out the way they want to."

„Do you know whether it is possible to just ignore the bond?" asked Tavi. „We only started to miss each other once we had spent some time together back in Alera Imperia. What if a Marat never spends time with his totem at all? Will the bond weaken over time?"

„I do not know, Aleran," said Kitai. She looked rather uncomfortable at the way the discussion was turning. „As far as I know, no Marat has every rejected a bond on purpose, nor has any chala refused to spend time with his bond mate. I am not sure what will happen, but it is well known that the bond to your chala only gets stronger over time."

„So, the reverse might be true than as well."

„Yes, but I don't see how this is going to help our new clanmates. We are supposed to guide them and show them how they can be a good part of the Aleran clan. Given them foolish advice on how to weaken the bond does not seem helpful."

„I just wanted to know in case the Aleran girl asked me", said Tavi. „Alright, I will make some room in my schedule for this. Can I get back to work now?"

„Yes", said Kitai. „But make sure that you are done soon. It is late already and we should mate tonight. Desi needs a sibling."

Tavi choked a bit in surprise, but managed a nod. He should be used to Kitai's bluntness by now, but she still managed to catch him off-guard from time to time. At least now he had something to motivate him to finish reading the report.

Doroga's letter turned out to be accurate: Before the week was out both the Marat warrior and the Aleran girl arrived. Tavi managed to squeeze them in the early morning before the start of his regular audiences. He wanted to avoid a public spectacle and therefore asked them to attend him in his study. His close ties to the Marat were not that well-known in the realm and would probably cause some suspicion in the more conservative parts of the population. The Aleran girl was named Helena and she was the youngest daughter of a noble gem merchant. She was fifteen and very pretty with her long blonde hair and busty figure. The Marat's name was Ingvar. He was a rather sullen looking stocky youth with the pale skin and hair custom to the Marat.

Araris showed both the Helena and Ingvar to the study. The sword master had insisted on fulfilling his role as singulare, even though it was completely unnecessary from Tavi's point of view. Both Kitai and he were far too powerful to be tested by a young girl and a Marat.

„Welcome", said Tavi once the door had slammed closed behind them. „Please sit. I hope that you had a pleasant journey."

Helena, who had looked intensely uncomfortable from the moment she had entered the room, mumbled something under her breath and hastily sat down. She avoided his eyes, obviously cowed by the presence of the First Lord. Ingvar on the other hand did not seem impressed at all. He just scowled and took his seat.

„You are the leader of the Alerans", he said in heavily accented Aleran. „The first Aleran to ever bind himself to a Marat."

„I am Gaius Octavian", confirmed Tavi. „First Lord of Alera and chala to Kitai."

„Then this makes us clanmates", said Ingvar. „If that is the proper word for it. Usually, chalas don't talk."

Tavi raised an eyebrow at the nonchalant nature of the young Marat. He either did not quite realize who he was talking to or he simply did not care. He was not sure whether he ought to be offended. He threw a glance at Kitai, who seemed not at all surprised.

„Yes, you are now part of the Aleran clan, like Octavian and I", she said. „As the most experienced Marat in the clan, I hold position as clan leader. You are going to follow my lead. We will make sure that you will learn how to deal with your new situation."

„Please, your grace, this is all a huge mistake", said Helena, glancing up at Tavi and holding his gaze for a few seconds before losing her courage again. „I don't understand what's going on anymore. I was out flying back in Garrison. My father had forbidden me to go out, as a storm was approaching, but I had to clear my head. The storm began earlier than expected and I was still out when the rain started. On my way back, I spotted a young Marat warrior getting attacked by windmanes. I decided to help as I carried some rock salt. We got rid of the windmanes and when I grabbed him to carry him back to the fortress, something strange happened. We got back alright, but suddenly people starting talking about bonds and totems. Count Calderon and Doroga told us we had to go to Riva and that was that. I don't want to be in any clan, I just want to go home!"

She gasped for breath once she had finished her rant. An instant later, a look of horror took over her face.

„I mean obviously it is a great honor to be part of your clan, your grace", she hastily continued. „It is just that I am bit overwhelmed by everything and I had different plans for my life."

„Its alright, Helena", said Tavi. „I am not offended. It is perfectly normal for you to be confused. The Marat bonding process is not exactly common knowledge in Alera. We are only used to dealing with our furies. The Marat bond runs deeper, though. If the bond is allowed to grow, both partners start sharing each other's abilities. Also, they are going to form a close emotional connection as well. After some years, you are going to know each other like the back of your hand, even without words."

„But what if I don't want to be bonded to him?"

„Do you think I wanted this thing to happen?" asked Ingvar hotly. „I never wanted to become part of the Aleran clan either! I wanted a wolf, like my father and his father before him! Instead, I got some foolish Aleran girl, who stuck her nose into something she had no business in."

„I was the one who rescued you!" protested Helena. „How can you be angry about that? Should I have left you to deal with the windmanes on your own?"

„Yes, that is exactly what you should have done", said Ingvar. „I was on a search for my chala when the storm started. It was a test for me, delivered by the One in his wisdom. The windmanes were just another obstacle for me to overcome. I would have made it back to Garrison on my own!"

„You would have died!"

„You cannot know that and even if you were right, there are worse things than dying in a fight. You have made both of us unhappy by helping me!"

„That is quite enough", said Tavi firmly. „Arguing about the past is not going to help anyone. Helena, you did the right thing in helping Ingvar. There was no way for you to know that you would enter a bond by assisting him. Ingvar, you know too little about life to talk so casually about throwing it away. You should be grateful about Helena's help even if you did not want to bond with her."

Ingvar looked like he was about to protest, but a dark look from Kitai was enough to send him into sullen silence.

„Not getting the chala you want is a bitter disappointment", said Kitai. „I didn't want to bond with Octavian, I did not even know that it was possible. I wanted to become a part of the horse clan, but the One had different plans. I was bitter about it for a very long time, but in the end, I did what all of my ancestors have done: I spent time with my Chala and with his people. I observed, I learned and I grew. Now, I don't spend a second thought about what could have been anymore. Instead, I am happy with what I have gained."

„And what have you gained?" asked Ingvar. „What exactly is it that the Aleran clan has to offer its new members? The members of the wolf clan are ferocious and fearless like their chala. What have you become, Kitai?"

Tavi felt a rush of irritation at the young Marat's words. Kitai was his wife and the queen of the realm! This foolish child should show her some respect! The furycraft Kitai had learned through the bond between them had made her one of the most powerful crafters of the realm. She could kill Ingwar with a flick of her fingers and still she was getting disrespected. He forced himself to exhale slowly to reign in his temper. He was giving this too much thought. There was no reason why he should get bent all of shape by the youth's ignorance. After all, he dealt with ignorance every time he had to interact with the senate.

Fortunately, Kitai was used to the Marat bluntness and apparently not fazed at all by the question.

„I have gained furycrafting", she said. „A few years after bonding with Octavian, I was able to use the Aleran sorcery as well. Now, I am able to do things I never would have thought possible. I have discovered that flying is even better than riding a horse."

That seemed to intrigue Ingvar. He had a ponderous look on his face and for the first time since entering, he did not seem mortally offended by the whole situation.

„And what about me?" asked Helena. „I am a furycrafter already, what new abilities will I gain?"

„The Marat are tougher people than we are", said Tavi. „If your bonding process will work like mine, you will become more resistant to hunger, pain, exhaustion and sleep deprival. You will become stronger and faster as well. Sadly, my night-vision has not gotten any better, even though the Marat are quite good at seeing in the dark."

„Not all gifts are meant to be shared, chala", said Kitai loftily. Tavi shot her a quick grin and briefly considered kissing her. He dismissed the notion as not nearly mysterious enough for a first lord.

„I see", said Helena. „Well, it is good that I will at least get something positive out of this mess, even though Ingvar clearly is luckier than I am. I still wish that all this wouldn't have happened, but I don't consider it all bad anymore. After all it worked out for the two of you… oh great furies!"

She clapped her hands in front of her mouth, at look of pure shock on her.

"What is it?" asked Tavi.

"You…", she said. "You are married."

"The Aleran ability to state the obvious always amazes me", said Kitai dryly.

Helena blushed furiously.

"I just mean that you two share a bond and now Ingvar and I do too", she said. "Does that mean that we also…"

"Will mate at some point in time?" said Kitai.

Tavi wanted to kick her for making the girl even more uncomfortable, but he found no way to do it discreetly. Some things you just couldn't do anymore once you were the first lord.

Ingvar pulled a face at the suggestion and Helena looked like she might faint at any moment.

"Kitai", he chided gently. She gave him a wide smile in response, but did not say anything. "I wouldn't worry about that Helena. Just because you share a bond, does not mean that you will fall in love or even be attracted to each other. Things just worked out between Kitai and I."

"Oh, that is a relieve, your grace", said Helena.

"I don't see why you are so relieved about this", said Ingvar gruffly. "If anyone should be relieved, it should be me. A Marat warrior needs a strong woman, not some frail Aleran girl."

"Well, I guess we can both be very happen than", said Helena waspishly. "And you should watch your tongue around me. I may be your chala, or however it is called, but I am not afraid of knocking some manners into you."

She glowered at him and Ingvar blinked in surprise at the rage on her face. Tavi stifled a snicker.

"You will get used to each other over time", said Tavi. "Time is passing and I am afraid I have another meeting coming up. I have made arrangements for both of you to stay in Riva for the time being. You will have some time to reflect on your new situation. Ingvar will need to get used to being around Alerans and Helena will need get some insight into the Marat mentality. Kitai and I will make sure that you receive whatever knowledge you need. Of course, you are not obliged to stay here. If you would rather return to your families, you can leave at any moment."

"My place is with my new clan", said Ingvar simply. "I will stay."

"I will stay for the moment as well", said Helena. "My father will join me in a few days. We need to discuss the situation."

"Marvelous", said Tavi. "Now, I am afraid, I have to ask you to leave. I will have one of the servants show you the way to your quarters."

Helene bowed deeply and thanked him, while Ingvar just scowled. Both of them strode out of the room, leaving Tavi and Kitai behind.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked, smirking at him.

"I have the desire to bury my fist in Ingvar's face," said Tavi dryly.

Kitai laughed.  
"It seems that you are a natural at properly welcoming young Marat into your clan, Aleran", she said mischievously. "I never would have guessed it."

"I have some experience in dealing with unruly Marat", said Tavi. He snaked an arm around her waist, pulled her close to him and kissed her. She made a please sound in the back of her throat and kissed him back fiercely.

"I think, I would like to hear more about these methods", she said, after they broke apart. "Do you truly have an appointment coming up?"

"Yes, and I am afraid, it can't wait."

"Of course, it can't", she said. "My mad Aleran, always saving the world, one tiny thing at a time."

"Someone has to do it", said Tavi lightly, before becoming serious again. "I am still not sure about our new clanmates. Did you think I did alright? I don't want to fail them, even though Ingvar is an annoying ass. Maybe I should talk with Doroga about this. He might…"

Kitai pressed a finger to his lips to shut him up.

"Aleran, you have defeated the Vord Queen and saved every creature on this world from extinction. You can handle a couple of youths. Now, take care of whatever is threatening the realm today. I will see you at dinner then. Don't be late."

She swept from the room, blowing him a kiss on her way out.

Tavi laughed at her antics. She was right: He had faced much worse problems before. Both the realm and he would be alright.


End file.
